“Oh, I know he did,” Cheyenne agreed with a sassy smile. “That’s exactly why I decided to give him a break and let him pay for these little classes.”
At the mention of their dad, Austin’s chest tightened and he tried to smile. “So what brings y’all by? Do you need something?”
“You,” Cheyenne said with a wink. “I was wondering if we could convince you to come over tonight and have a cookout. Dad’s making burgers.”
With effort, he ignored the slight hint of longing in her voice. He knew his sister wanted them to be closer, and he felt the same way, too.
But they had a major difference of opinion when it came to their father. Cheyenne was willing to bank on Buddy Wright having changed for the better. He’d already gone down that road too many times to get sucked back into that fairy tale.
“I’m real sorry, Chey, but I’m afraid I’ve got other plans.” Boy, he’d never been so glad to have those plans, too.
“I bet.”
With the tension brewing between them, he knew he couldn’t simply let things set and stew. Something had to be said. Warily, he snuck a glance at the girls.
Luckily, they’d lost interest in the adults’ conversation and were looking at a pile of horse blankets in the corner. Seeing that they were safely occupied but well within view, he added, “Cheyenne, you know I don’t want to be hanging out, grilling with Dad.”
Staring hard at him, she said, “Are you ever going to forgive him?”
“For what?” He knew his voice was coming out harsher than he’d intended. But shoot, who could blame him? He had enough going on without dealing with his father’s problems, too.
“For everything. Of course.”
That was a tough question to answer. “I don’t know.”
“When will you? We’re not getting any younger.”
“I really do have other plans.”
“Doing what?”
He didn’t care for being interrogated in front of his nieces by his little sister in his store. “Not that it’s any of your business, I’ve got plans with Dinah.”
“Dinah Hart?”
“Is there another Dinah that you know of?”
“She thought you were a thief, Austin.”
Put that way, he had the terrible feeling he was practically tripping over himself making more mistakes than his father ever did.
Especially when it came to women.
“Cheyenne, that’s all over with now.”
“Is it? ’Cause for a while there, it seemed that nobody in Roundup could talk of anything else. She ruined your reputation, Austin.”
As if it wasn’t already in the sewer? “Thanks for the update.”
She visibly winced. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being harsh. But shoot, Austin. I find it interesting that you can act like what Dinah did was no big deal, but you still get all riled up about Dad.”
The girls had gotten bored with the blanket and were within earshot. So he motioned them forward and redirected the conversation to the only thing he could think of that would have no return. “Guess what I’m doing tonight?”
“What?”
“I’m taking Sheriff Hart out to look at puppies.”
As he’d expected, his nieces got all excited about the thought of the sheriff having a puppy. And of their uncle Austin getting it for her. And for the good chance that he’d bring the puppy by so they could cuddle him.
But his sister, unfortunately, was looking at him a whole different way. “You’re buying her a dog?” she asked, pure shock and irritation singing in her voice. “Really? Don’t you think things are moving a little fast between the two of you?”
A puppy wasn’t a baby. And it wasn’t toxic waste or a bomb or anything else her incredulous tone made it sound like.
He was just about to mention that to her, too, when a little bug buzzed in his ear. He knew that buzz. It was the one he got two seconds before they opened the shoot when he was on the back of a bronc.
It was the buzz he heard after he’d had two beers and was pulling out a third.
It was his body’s handy internal warning system that signaled he’d just thrown himself into a dangerous situation.
Like an electrical switch had just been turned on, he remembered being in Dinah’s arms. How soft and pretty she’d been. How passionate. How for a little while, he’d forgotten about all his problems and all the things that could have been or should have been.
Instead, he’d concentrated on her and loving her.
So far…none of that was bad. Was it?
Then, as if he’d been kicked in the ribs by an ornery horse, he gasped. With sudden clarity, he remembered they hadn’t used birth control.
Which meant that he wasn’t just a dumb drunk; he was an idiotic sober person, as well.
Cheyenne was looking at him strangely. “Austin? You okay?”
No. “I’m fine. Never better.”
“You sure? ’Cause you’re looking a little pasty.”
He felt worse than that. Suddenly, his mouth was dry and his head was blank. And his conscience? It was burning as if he had a serious case of typhoid fever.
It was time to get these women out of his hair ASAP. “Correction, I’m taking her out to Angie’s to look at the rescue pups,” he said finally, walking toward the front of the store. “I don’t believe any money will be changing hands.”
“Are things that serious?”
He thought about being in bed with Dinah. Thought about the consequences that were maybe happening right that very minute. “They’re pretty serious.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“I know it’s hard to get a handle on, but we’re taking things slow.” At least they had last night once they’d gotten to her bed. “Now, I hate to rush y’all, but I got about a thousand things to do. Enjoy those burgers.”
As he’d anticipated, the girls accepted his brush-off easily, hugging his legs then scampering to the door.
But his sister merely stared. “Something’s going on, and even though you don’t need me meddling, I’m going to.”
“I really don’t need you meddling, Cheyenne.”
“Too late. I’m going to call you later,” she said.
Only Chey could make that promise sound like the world’s worst threat. “Can’t wait to hear from you,” he muttered.
The moment they closed the door, Austin stared at his cell phone. The right thing to do would be to call up Dinah and mention that little stream of consciousness about birth control.
But she was a sheriff. Not some green girl.
So maybe she’d been on the Pill? Or had one of those IUDs or whatever they were called?
But it did seem kind of awkward to talk about that on the phone. Yeah, probably much better to discuss it in person.
All he was going to have to do was think of a good way to bring it up without reminding her that he was just about the biggest, most inconsiderate jerk in the state of Montana.
* * *
WHEN HE PICKED HER UP, it was pretty clear that this wasn’t the right time, either. Dinah was edgy and uneasy sitting next to him.
“I almost called and canceled,” she said the moment he pulled out of her parking lot.
“Why is that?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound as uneasy as he felt.
She didn’t say anything for a minute, which was a surprise because Dinah Hart had never been especially shy when it came to putting people in their place. �
�I started thinking that maybe the two of us don’t have much of a future together.”
“Because?” He was glad he was driving so he didn’t have to take his eyes off the road. If he got a good look of doubt and regret in her eyes, he knew he was going to start blurting things that needed a healthy dose of thought and care before they hit the air.
“Because when I’m with you, it feels like I’m going backward.”
“Because of who I am? Because I’m one of those no-good Wrights?”
“No. Austin, no.”
He peeked at her and realized with some shock that she looked frankly a little upset that he believed she thought the worst of him. “Then maybe you should explain yourself.”
“Remember when we were in high school and we all ran a little wild?”
“I remember.” He also remembered that his wild days had just been getting started while she, on the other hand, had had a few nights of being a little too crazy.
“I made some mistakes.”
“Everyone does in high school, Dinah.” He slowed to a turn and kept the speedometer low; they were now only minutes from Angie and Duke’s place. But he sensed that she had something important to say that couldn’t wait.
“No, I made a big mistake. I got carried away with the guy I was dating…”
“And?” He turned into Angie’s property, happy to see Flynn’s vehicle there waiting on them.
“And I thought I was pregnant.”
If he’d ever been relieved to be parking the truck, it was at that moment. Given what had been going through his head ever since his sister had stopped by and he’d had his big realization, he didn’t know if he could have kept driving without freaking out.
He brought the truck to a stop, exhaled and then stared at her.
“Funny you should bring that up.”
“Funny why?”
“Funny, because I realized today that I neglected to keep you safe, Dinah.”
His bald words lay there between them. Stark and naked.
Kind of like how he felt when he turned to her to see what she had to say about that.
Chapter Seventeen
Dinah had thought Austin could do nothing more to surprise her. But his statement, combined with the unflinching way he took complete responsibility for what had happened, left her speechless.
Now the figurative ball was in her court, and she had no idea what to say. Other than the truth.
“What happened between us wasn’t only your fault, Austin. I was right there with you, and I forgot about birth control, too.” Actually, it had been the very last thing on her mind.
He pressed his fingers on his forehead, as though she’d just given him a whale of a headache. “So…you weren’t on the Pill? Or…anything else?”
“No.” She felt idiotic. At the very least, she felt like the greenest coed alive. Here she was, supposed to be some kind of independent, capable woman…
And she couldn’t even manage safe sex. Maybe she needed to get a couple of lessons from the high schoolers she was meeting with. They probably could be teaching her a thing or two about thinking ahead. She didn’t even want to consider the possibility she might be pregnant. Then she thought of something else.
Even though it embarrassed the heck out of her, she had to ask. “Have you been checked out lately?”
Every muscle in his face seemed to turn to stone. “What?”
“You know. For any disease?” When he still stared, she sputtered. “Like herpes?” His blue eyes narrowed. “And since, you know, we didn’t use any protection…”
“I don’t have herpes. Do you?”
She winced. “No.”
“Syphilis?”
“There’s no need to get nasty, Austin.”
Slowly, he took his hand off his door handle as the steam left him. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Of course, we should have acted our ages. We should’ve thought about a whole lot of things. I’ll go get tested.”
“I will, too,” she said. Though it would only be for what had just happened between them. She hadn’t been in a physical relationship for years.
The muscle in his cheek jumped. “Fair enough.”
Well, this was awkward. “Do you still want to go look at puppies?”
He blinked at her, and she realized that he’d assumed she didn’t want to have another thing to do with him.
And while that might have been the smartest decision, it wasn’t the truth.
“Yeah. Heck, why not?” He got out and stepped away, then turned and waited for her. “Come on, Dinah. Let’s see if we can find you something cute to hold on to.”
She walked to his side and tried not to notice how good it felt to stand next to him. His gait slowed to meet her own as they walked out toward one of Angie’s barns.
“What’s the story with this?”
“Well, it just so happens that Angie and I have become pretty good friends because of her horse treats and such. They’re big sellers at the store. She’s even filled in for me a time or two at the store when I’ve been on the road. Anyway, sometimes when she and Duke are on the road, or at a rodeo or trade show selling horse treats, I try to help out any way that I can.”
“I thought Flynn and Ace were looking in on the animals.”
“They do. Well, they’re looking after the horses and other big livestock. But, you know, they’re plenty busy.”
Yes, they were, she realized with a sinking feeling. Flynn and Ace, and Colt and Leah, and Duke and the rest of her family had lots of things on their plates. She should have been reaching out to them a lot more than she had.
And she would’ve if she hadn’t been so focused on her own problems.
Still chatting, Austin said, “Anyway, I told Angie I’d be more than happy to look after the dogs today. These puppies are too cute. Plus, they’re not weaned yet, so the momma’s got them pretty well in hand. However, I figured it suits everyone if I stop by here a couple of times a day.”
She ached to compliment him on that. They all had busy jobs and sometimes offers only sounded good when they were offered, not when it came to actually doing the job for hours and hours.
But of course she couldn’t say anything like that. There was no way she could get her words to sound anything other than condescending. Or avoid bringing into the open the fact that she hadn’t even thought to offer Angie and Duke a helping hand.
She kept quiet until he opened the door, flicked on a switch and led the way into a cozy stall that had been converted into a home for the dogs.
The telltale sound of puppies whimpering and yipping claimed her heart like nothing else. Instantly, she forgot about everything but crouching in front of the mother dog and her litter.
“Oh, my gosh, Austin. There are puppies everywhere!”
“I thought so, too. There’s eight of them. Aren’t they as cute as all get-out?”
Cute hardly did them justice. Black and white and brown, with tiny pointy noses and pretty pink paws, the roly-poly pups were a funny combination of shepherd, terrier and who knew what else.
The momma dog looked at Austin and thumped her tail quietly. As though he had all the time in the world, he reached in and gently scratched her head. “How you doing, Bree? Those pups wearing you out yet?”
Bree answered with another tail thump, then a shift, moving her puppies around so she could get into a better position.
Like a child, Dinah flopped to the ground
, sitting cross-legged, watching the puppies flop over each other.
And then Austin reached over and gently picked up a pup. Next thing Dinah knew, she was cuddling the puppy. “This is the best, Austin.”
His gaze softened. “I thought you’d enjoy this. Puppies are the best thing I know of for guaranteed stress reduction. Bar none.”
She yearned to thank him for thinking about her. For making sure she got just what she needed. But she settled for something a bit less personal. “I can’t believe you remembered how much I liked dogs.”
“It wasn’t a difficult thing to remember, Dinah. You like dogs, and dogs like you.”
His voice was low and sweet. Sinfully sexy, at least to her ears. And even though they were only talking about puppies, it felt like so much more. As he slid down to the ground beside her, laughing when a pair of pups rolled on the ground, a low, slow ebb of desire slid through her, making her think about being in bed with him again.
Making her think about being in his arms.
And it all made her rethink her goals and motivation, too. Because it was now fairly obvious that there was a solid connection between the two of them, and it didn’t have so much to do with old arguments and new problems.
Instead it had more to do with the warm comfort of a friendship that had grown and deepened through the years. Even in spite of themselves. She was just about to try and figure out how to talk to him about this when her cell phone chirped.
Of course the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Holding it to her ear, she heard exactly what she didn’t want to know. “I’ll be right there,” she said to the dispatcher.
Austin carefully pulled the sleepy puppy from her arms. “Let me guess…duty calls.”
“Boy, howdy, does it ever,” she said as she got to her feet and brushed the dust and hay from her jeans.
“What happened? Can you say?”
Wearily, she shrugged. “I can share it, sure. It’s not a big surprise—there’s been another robbery. Lord, but I’m so tired of this.”
“Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to come with you?”
Austin: Second Chance Cowboy Page 14